As we prepare to say goodbyes to President Goodluck…
Political commentator, Victor Terhemba, writes on 9 things he thinks Nigerians will miss President Goodluck Jonathan for. This interesting piece was first published on Daily Independent.
A person cannot not be perfect in all things neither can a person be totally bad; something interesting has to be about that person. Though the presidential and gubernatorial elections have come and gone, we’ve witnessed a paradigm shift. Before now many pastors, prophets and political gurus said Goodluck Jonathan would win but alas they’ve been left to eat their words. They say the voice of the people is the voice of God, now I’m wondering which God spoke to those pastors and prophets. What are we going to miss Jonathan and the outgoing government for? You might not have thought about this but we are going to miss quite a lot such as:
1. We are going to miss Jonathan as the first president ever in Nigeria to graciously concede defeat. This is not just only an act of patriotism but that singular act forestall all the possibilities of post election violence. We will miss Jonathan for setting this standard.
2. We will miss Jonathan for being the first president since 1999 not to interfere in the conduct of elections.
3. We will miss a president who rode to power, (from deputy governor to governor and from vice president to president) on the back of ethnic sentiments, emotional sentiments, luck and serendipity. In the build to the 2011 elections, Rev. Chris Okotie of FRESH democratic party said the ability and wisdom to lead a country like Nigeria is not based on luck and serendipity (in apparent reference to Jonathan) but experience and knowledge. Now, only Okotie can tell if he has been vindicated by his statement or not.
4. Let me say “prestissimbo” i.e as quickly as possible, we would miss Mrs. Patience Jonathan. She has had more effect on the Nigerian polity than her husband the president, and I can be corrected.
5. We will miss a president who was shockingly and ignorantly candid and honest. We will miss a president who after three weeks admits he doesn’t know where the kidnapped Chibok girls are (it was at this time I lost all hope that the girls will be rescued under this Government). In fact he even claims the media knows more than him. These kinds of statements we are going to miss.
6. We would miss a president who honestly confessed to us that he doesn’t know what he is doing and always confused because he gets conflicting advises from his advisors and aides. We miss that President who on Cable Network News, CNN, said Nigerians are pleased with the power supply and even challenged Amanpour to ask the ordinary man on the streets of Lagos, Abuja and other cities. Meanwhile, most of the people who followed the interview watched it using a generator and majority couldn’t because they had no light.
7. We will miss the garrulous and loquacious Doyin Okupe who was such a sycophant that he compared Jonathan to be like Jesus. I don’t know the basis of comparisons, or is it because both names start with “J”?
8. We will miss a president who said stealing public funds is not corruption.
9. We will miss a government where the first lady was more powerful than the president. We will miss a government where the Vice president was basically unknown and without a portfolio. I dare say 95% of secondary school students don’t know the name of the vice president and many have failed this question in exams and post jamb tests.
Now that we have a new president coming in and another going out, we hope the constitution will no longer be a joke though the antecedents of the incoming show how much he style then contravened the constitution. The Nigerian people have had their say and I do sincerely hope we don’t drop our oars but keep up our vigilance and watchdog-ness. The cane that was used to beat the first wife shouldn’t be thrown away because a new wife is coming in, but should be kept and even doubled in size and length; the change they preached must be visible and not just a mere mantra they used to get our votes..
For the first time since 1999 we are now going to have a president who really, really, really wants to be president and not persuaded like Obasanjo in 1999, Yar’adua in 2007 and Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 and recently.